The Day It Began
by ladywentworth
Summary: Mako works at a coffee shop to help out his little brother. A regular customer comes in to order her usual, but today is different. Coffee shop AU!Makorra. Rated K to a T rating later on.
1. The Day It Began

**Reader Disclaimer:** All recognizable characters and allusions belong to Nickelodeon and the creators of Legend of Korra.

_Summary: Mako works in a coffee shop, and a regular customer makes her appearance, but today is different. Coffee shop AU!Makorra._

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Mako turns away and starts making a new pot of espresso even though there's already a fresh one from twenty minutes ago. He lets Tahno, the sharp-mouthed barista who gets on his nerves a lot, take the customer that just walked in.

"Oh, hello again, Kor-_rah_," he hears Tahno greet with his faux-sensual voice. "Fancy seeing you here."

Tahno says the last part with no attempt at all to mask his sarcasm. Mako focuses on scooping the right amount of coffee grounds into the filter. How many was it again? Four? Crap, he forgot already.

"Shove it, Tahno," answers Kor-_rah_. "Just give me my usual."

"And what's that, exactly? I'm pretty sure what you're looking for isn't on the menu, sweetheart."

Mako's hand shakes too much and some coffee grounds spill onto the counter. Stupid Tahno. Why was he antagonizing their most frequent customer? She'd run off to some other coffee shop and then who would tip them as generously as her again?

"Blonde roast, three creamers, one pump of sweetener and one pump of hazelnut. Or did you take that off the menu, pretty boy?"

The espresso is brewing. Mako moves on to straightening the coffee bags and brushing off the wayward coffee grounds with meticulousness.

"Maybe," Tahno says. "Hey, Mako, can you get this broad her coffee?"

Mako glances over his shoulder to glare at Tahno but accidentally meets the jewel blue eyes of the customer and he fights back the heat of the blush that creeps up his cheeks and ears and slowly turns to face the front counter. "Yeah, of course."

Tahno smirks and turns back to the girl. "While Mako takes his sweet time preparing your coffee just how you like it, you can pay me and take your seat, sweetheart."

Mako doesn't look up again as he hears her grumble something and there's the jingle of change and the ring of the cash register.

"You know, I am definitely not going to miss seeing your face all summer, Tahno," she says clearly after Tahno finishes giving her the change.

What did that mean? Mako stirs in the creamers and furrows his brow.

"Oh, my feelings are hurt. How ever will I survive?"

Mako couldn't remember Tahno saying anything about going away for the summer, but then again, he didn't pay much attention to his coworkers. He just worked at this stupid coffee shop for extra cash to help pay for his little brother's membership at his mixed martial arts gym. Making friendly with the other baristas wasn't required.

Mako swears he can hear her stick out her tongue at Tahno but doesn't say anything else and moves to wait for her coffee on the other side of the counter, which Mako is closer to. He tries not to think about this as he adds two pumps of sweetener and two of hazelnut (she says she only wants one of each but really she likes her coffee sweet) and stirs those in carefully. He secures the lid on and takes out a marker from his apron pocket and writes out _Korra_ on the side of the cup.

She's leaning on the counter edge, dark hair carelessly held half-up by a blue clip, playing with the coffee stirrers. The day is warm enough that she's not wearing her usual blue jacket, showing off a sleeveless blouse that reveals the shape of her strong arms and line of her delicate collarbone.

_It's just a girl. She's not going to bite you. _Mako repeats this to himself as he approaches with the coffee cup in his hands.

"Uh, here's your coffee, Korra," Mako says, setting the coffee in front of her.

She looks up with a wide smile that makes Mako want to punch himself for reacting so stupidly with a blush. "Thanks, Mako."

She straightens and digs into her bookbag and fishes out some bills. "Here. I'd put it in your tip jar, but I don't want you to share it with pretty boy over there."

She reaches over and puts a couple of bills into his hand. Her touch is warm and Mako stares at her as she does this.

"Uh, thanks," he answers, his attempt at returning her smile pitiful. Mako wants to kick himself.

Korra grabs her coffee cup and winks at him, sending Mako's heart into a stammering frenzy. "I'll see you next time."

Mako watches her go and ignores the knowing smirk on Tahno's face.

He looks down at the tip she gave him—she's never done that before—and just before he's about to stuff it in his pocket he notices a white piece of paper sticking out in between the money. Mako pulls it out and reads the scribbled words on it, chuckling to himself because she's right.

_since we both know you're too shy to ask for my number_

_Korra_

_555-555-1423_

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A/N: This started off as a drabble on Tumblr. I plan on adding 10 more drabbles to complete this story. I'm so crappy at multi-chapter projects that this story should be easy enough to complete. I promise minimal angst and lots of fluff (I've tried writing angst and it ends up depressing me). The next chapter/drabble should be up...now!

Up next: _the first time they hung out._


	2. Part One: the first time they hung out

**Reader Disclaimer: **All recognizable characters and allusions belong to Nickelodeon and the creators of Legend of Korra.

* * *

Mako hated coffee. He used to like it, but then he got a crappy job working in a coffee shop and suddenly even the word coffee nauseated him.

"Blonde roast, three creamers, one pump of sweetener, one pump of hazelnut."

But here he was, in another coffee shop, standing behind the girl who made his heart beat faster and his palms sweaty in good ways he couldn't explain. And he was going to have to order something or this hanging out thing would be awkward.

"Actually, make it two pumps of sweetener and two of hazelnut," he said to the girl at the register.

Korra glanced at him over her shoulder with a glare. "No. That's not my order."

Mako shrugged. "It's what I always give you."

The look on her face made Mako smile smugly and when the barista looked at them questioningly Korra turned around and agreed to have the coffee the way Mako made it and stomped to wait at the other end of the counter. After Mako placed his order and paid for their drinks, he walked over to Korra with his hands in his pockets.

"I can't believe it," Korra grumbled at him. "You already know me better than I know you."

This actually made him laugh, despite the nerves he was feeling. "That's why we're here to get to know each other, right?"

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Gosh, is that what we're doing?"

"Blonde roast for Korra and earl grey latte for May-ko," a barista called a couple of minutes later.

Nothing could stop the flush that threatened to spread over Mako's entire face when Korra's face lit up completely at the sound of their drink order.

"Tea, _May_-ko?

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A/N: Hi! So, here's part one. I should add that these are all going to be pretty short-the first drabble is probably the longest. I'll finish up this story within a couple weeks or so. See you soon! I hope you like! :D

Up next: _the second time they went on a date_


	3. Part Two: the second time

**Reader Disclaimer: **All recognizable characters and allusions belong to Nickelodeon and the creators of Legend of Korra.

Full chapter name:_ the second time they went on a date_

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Mako was always late to everything. Living with a carefree little brother who couldn't even find his socks half the time did that to you. Today's reason for being late was Bolin's truck running out of gas on the highway and only Mako could save him. Korra was beginning to get suspicious.

"You'll understand when you meet him," Mako said as he drove them to the movies.

"He'll understand my fist punching his arm for making us late to the movie," Korra muttered, crossing her arms. "Why does your brother need you for everything anyway?"

Mako had been glancing at Korra with a smile—she was so cute when she pouted—and he looked forward at her question, trying to fight the cloud of seriousness that surrounded his relationship with his brother. "He's used to relying on me. I don't mind."

"I get that, but don't you think he relies on you too much?"

Mako gripped the steering wheel. "I'm all he has, Korra. I've been his rock ever since our parents died."

He wished he hadn't said anything because usually that meant people staring at him with pity and saying an insincere "I'm sorry", but when Korra touched his arm gently and said "I'm so sorry, Mako, I didn't know" he didn't reject it like he usually did.

"It's fine," Mako replied, trying to smile again. "I knew I'd have to tell you eventually. I _had_been hoping it would be on our tenth date or something and I could break it to you while you're busy with dessert."

Korra laughed and flicked his arm. "Shut up. The cake from the other night was really good and it's your fault you didn't get to it first."

"Let's hope you're not that way with popcorn," Mako said, stifling a laugh when Korra punched his arm.

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A/N: Hi again! Here's part two. I'm going to go ahead and post part three because I'm honestly going to forget in a couple of days. Thank you to CK and MaKorraLove7 for leaving me reviews! I hope you guise like this and the next one! :)

up next: part three, _the third time they got caught making out_


	4. Part Three: the third time

**Reader Disclaimer:** All recognizable characters and allusions belong to Nickelodeon and the creators of Legend of Korra.

Full chapter name:_ the third time they got caught making out_

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First they had been talking about Mako hating coffee (it was just _gross_) and now his lips were locked with hers and they were pretty much on their way to defiling the couch. It was all fun until Mako's leg started slipping off the edge of the couch and when he tried to find purchase on the side of it, his leg slipped and he fell on the floor quite ungracefully with a yelp and a stinging pain on his left shoulder.

"What are you doing down there?" Korra laughed, looking down at him.

Mako looked up at the ceiling and tried to mask his embarrassment. "Oh, you know, I thought it was time to lay on the floor and think about my place in the universe."

She laughed again and moved to sit on top of him. Suddenly the pain in his shoulder was completely insignificant. "Am I really that bad a kisser?"

Mako had to stop himself from saying _you're the most amazing kisser ever your lips are like water in the middle of the desert I'm just an idiot_ and shook his head. "Quite the opposite. The couch didn't want to cooperate with me."

Korra's laugh vibrated through his body and he was weirdly glad he fell for the change in positions. "Stupid couch. I think the floor might be friendlier."

She leaned forward and started pressing kisses to his jaw. "Definitely," he answered, placing his hands on her waist.

They easily picked up where they left off and didn't hear the door to his apartment open nor the heavy footfalls of his brother coming home from a training workout.

"Maaaaaakooooooo! Guess who's the best brother ever? I stopped for your favorite—"

Korra sat up abruptly, hair disheveled, and Mako, flustered, flushed, and surprised, looked to see Bolin standing in the middle of the living room with two bags of food in his arms and a scowl on his face.

"_Again_? Can you two at least leave a guy a warning or take it to the room? This is the third time this week!"

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A/N: I hate that these are so short, but the next few are marginally more substantial (or so I think). I don't want to spend too much time working on making them longer because this always leads to me giving up. The next three are going to take a small dive, including a little angst (GASP). I hope y'all like! See you soon! :)

up next: _the fourth time they said i love you_


	5. Part Four: the fourth time

**Reader Disclaimer:** All recognizable characters and allusions belong to Nickelodeon and the creators of Legend of Korra.

Full chapter name: _the fourth time they said "i love you"_

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Talking on the phone was not something they often did. Korra turned out to be bad at phone conversations—she said she could never think of anything to talk about, which was strange because Korra always had something to talk about. What was stranger tonight was that she had called him first.

"What time do you get out of class again?" Mako asked.

"Like, noonish?" She sighed. "I don't want to go. But I have a test."

He chuckled. "You never want to go. Do you want me to go pick you up after? We can go eat at that noodle place you like for lunch."

"Oh, Mako, Mako," she replied, clucking her tongue. He knew she was shaking her head on the other end of the line. "_Like _is such a lukewarm word for how I feel about Narook's noodles. I think _love _or _fanatical enthusiasm_ is more accurate."

"Ouch," Mako said, cradling the phone closer to his ear. "I think you feel more strongly for noodles than you do for me."

Her answering laugh was breathy and Mako smiled widely. "Shut up. You know how I feel about you. And going to Narook's after class sounds great. I could really go for some wild rice and sea noodles. Okay, I should probably go to sleep now."

"Are you brushing me off?"

"No, you dope. I have to go to sleep. It's getting late, anyways."

Mako looked at the clock on his nightstand and was surprised to see how late it actually was. "Wow. You were a talker tonight."

"A rarity," he heard her mumble. "I like talking to you, you know that? Even if I'm crappy at talking on the phone?"

"I know. And you're not that bad at talking on the phone, Korra." He paused. "I'm going to miss you until I see you tomorrow."

"I miss you already. Goodnight, Mako."

"'Night, Korra." Mako got ready to pull away the phone when he heard her voice again.

"Oh, and Mako? I love you."

Those three words sang through his chest, much like they did when they said them to each other earlier that day, and he had to take in a breath to calm himself. "I love you too, Korra."

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A/N: Hello again! This one's fluffy, albeit short again. I said that these would all be drabbles but I'm going to try to make the rest 500 words or more. It should be easier-now that Mako and Korra have gone over the preliminary relationship hurdles, it should be easier to build the story from here on. I guess I should add that this won't really be a longfic at all-it's more like a series of stories that people tell from time to time, so these are kind of like flashes of moments between them from the time they meet to, well, you're going to have to keep reading to find out :)

up next: _the fifth time he was there for her_


	6. Part Five: the fifth time

**Reader Disclaimer:** All recognizable characters and allusions belong to Nickelodeon and the creators of Legend of Korra

Full chapter name: _the fifth time he was there for her_

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Hospitals were not a place Mako liked. The last time he had been in one was the time he was eight and he found out both his parents were dead. Still, despite the bad omen he felt around hospitals, there was one person who could make him forget it and be there anyway—Korra. She had called him half an hour earlier, at two in the morning, and Mako had broken a lot of traffic laws to get here, but he wouldn't be anywhere else.

_"Mako, Mako, please come, my parents—my parents were in an accident…I—I don't know if they're okay they won't tell me anything please Mako I need you…"_

"Mako!" She ran across the waiting area into his arms as soon as he walked into view.

For all her confidence and strong demeanor, when Korra was down she was devastatingly vulnerable. Mako had only seen it a few times—when she got rejected from her first-choice med school, when her asshole micro professor told her she wasn't going anywhere last year-and nothing hurt him more than seeing her like that. Tonight Mako felt that his heart would break at seeing the level of devastation on her face, eyes brimming with tears and face pale. As he pressed her close to his chest, he could feel her tears trickle onto his t-shirt.

He had to ask. "How are they?"

She shook her head and let out a sob. Mako's heart stopped and a chill spread over his skin, fearing that Korra would suffer the same fate he and Bolin did all those years ago. Even if she was older than he and Bolin had been, finding out you lost your parents was never easy.

"Oh, Korra," he murmured, squeezing her tightly. A knot tightened in his throat.

"No, Mako," she mumbled against his shoulder. "My—my mom's fine. Just…just bruised. My dad—my dad's in surgery ri-right now."

Mako exhaled, feeling relief wash over him. He managed to lead them over to a couple of empty chairs. Some of the other people in the waiting room were watching them sympathetically but he ignored them. After he cleared off her tears with his thumb, he held her until she was calm enough to talk.

"The guy who hit them was drunk," she said, anger in her voice despite its sadness. "Not a scratch on him."

"Did he get away?"

"No. He's in custody right now." Korra's beautiful eyes were glassy and bloodshot as they looked away from him and at her lap. "I was so scared, Mako. I—I don't know what I would have done if—"

He wrapped his arms around her again. "Don't. Your parents are going to be just fine and that asshole who hit them is going to pay for what he did."

She balled one of her hands on his t-shirt and nodded after releasing a shuddering breath. "I'm so glad you're here, Mako."

Mako stroked her hair and kissed the top her head. "I'll always be here."

He would be.

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A/N: Hi! Here's the first of two angsty-ish installments on this...story? Novelette? I just want to say THANK YOU for favoriting, following, and reviewing this little endeavor of mine-it really makes me happy! I'm starting to lose faith in my writing but I'm not giving up, and I'm trying hard to make these longer without getting carried away.

Also, a fic rec: I'm truly loving **Rhapsody in Red** by Objective Mistress. Mako and Korra are cops in Republic City, looking to catch a serial killer that might have been behind the deaths of Mako's parents...and working together is turning out harder than they'd thought it be. Mystery, noirish, will-they-or-won't-they UST...it's got it all. It's on my favorites page, check it out! :)

up next: part six, _the sixth time they got in a fight_


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